Queen City Forging

A modern company -- with a history that dates back to the late 1800's!

Modern computer systems and state-of-the-art technology represents Queen City Forging Co. today. But beyond all of this modern equipment and processes lies a rich and interesting business history. Unique among today's forging companies, our business history illustrates how modern American industry has grown up in the past few centuries.

In the late 1800's, Cincinnati, a riverboat town along the Ohio River, was the center of the buggy and carriage industry west of the Allegheny mountains.

Sometime before 1880, James Williams and Oliver Walker started their business -- Williams, Walker & Co. -- to supply the carriage building industry with the hardware needed in the construction of horse drawn vehicles. Best evidence indicates that the two first sold "fifth wheels" and other items that were manufactured by other companies. As the business grew, equipment and personnel were added to allow the enterprise to manufacture as well as distribute products.

During 1881, the business had grown beyond the scope of the original proprietorship. In that year, Williams, Walker & Co. was replaced by a new corporation, The Queen City Forging Co. The record indicates that at the same time, James Williams left the business as only Oliver Walker is shown as an officer of the company in the Cincinnati business directory of 1882. Our best information about James Williams is that his share of the company was purchased by Walter Dinkelman's father, who was reputed to be a very successful salesman in the company. Walter Dinkleman would later share ownership of the company with Bruce Walker, Oliver Walker's son.

Product catalogs of 1885 (left), 1896, and 1921 give hints of the company's standing and focus during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. That focus was primarily carriage hardware with some attention given to custom drop forging. The 1885 catalog reflects Cincinnati in the boom of the carriage building business. Step pads, axle parts, fifth wheels, and a large assortment of all kinds of hardware were being sold. It wasn’t long before Queen City was producing forged components for the infant automobile industry including hardware and small engine parts.

Over a period of thirty years, production shifted away from manufacturing vehicle components, to more generalized production for many industries. Customers were primarily the manufacturing concerns in the Cincinnati area, in need of forged components for their products.

During the period 1940-1948, during and following The Second World War, Queen City Forging engaged in volume production of ordinance materials to support the military efforts. After a period of decline that followed the war, sales increased by producing custom forgings and adding new customers for whom service requirements were more critical. Over the next thirty years, the company grew as sales efforts brought a variety of job shop work into the facility. Improvements were made to equipment, such as forging press acquisitions, and industrial blacksmithing operations were also started to take advantage of this niche market.